In The Beginning
by Medie
Summary: Her ship stranded in the Delta Quadrant, Kathryn Janeway is trying to rebuild her crew. With help from her friends.


Title: In The Beginning  
Author: Medie  
Feedback: medison@thezone.net for private feedback.   
Category: Alternate Universe  
Spoilers: Caretaker  
Disclaimer: Don't own any of 'em 'cept Kaia and she's a handful.  
Summary: After Caretaker, the crew must move on and make a new life.  
Note: Not beta'd in the least. *G* I haven't found a Voyager beta-reader  
yet.  
  
"In The Beginning"  
by Medie  
-------  
Sitting at her desk, Kathryn Janeway spread out the PADDs before her - her  
mind mulling over the situation she now found herself, and her crew, in.   
Trapped in the Delta Quadrant, a seventy year trip away from Earth and the   
Federation. Two crews, ordinarily enemies, trying to coexist on one ship.   
Maquis and Starfleet forced to exist side by side.   
  
A heavy sigh escaped her and she rubbed her forehead before reaching for her  
coffee. "Well, I can't say we're going to be bored." She informed the picture  
of Mark and Bear that sat on her desk.   
  
Picking up two of the PADDs, the captain surveyed them speculatively before   
continuing to speak. "I do believe this just might work."  
  
After a moment's thought she returned the PADDs to the desk and sat back   
while tapping her commbadge. "Janeway to Doran."  
  
-*-*-*-*-*-*-  
  
After Janeway's call, Kaia Doran finished up the work she was doing in the  
science lab and made her way to the bridge. With a nod and a few smiles at  
the faces she recognized, the Betazoid crossed the bridge to the ready room's  
door.  
  
Hitting the chime, the tall blonde stepped back to wait for the door to open.  
  
When it did she found herself looking at Kathryn Janeway, her old friend,   
and Voyager's new First Officer, Commander Chakotay.   
  
"Come in Commander." Janeway greeted with a smile as she stood up.  
  
With a reserved smile in return, Kaia stepped forward tentatively while   
resisting the urge to take a peek at Kate's thoughts and find out what was   
going on. Having known the older woman for most of her Starfleet career, she  
was quite comfortable in her presence and vice versa. Kaia's mind had touched  
Kathryn's before and, in all likelihood, would again.   
  
Walking over to the chair, the slim woman rested her hands on the back of the  
nearest chair and waited patiently.  
  
Turning to her executive officer, the captain's expression shifted slightly   
into the one she used when commanding. "We'll continue this discussion later  
Commander, thank you."  
  
Chakotay nodded in return offered a reserved smile before returning to the   
bridge.   
  
The door had barely slid shut before Janeway was moving toward the replicator.  
"The usual, Kai?"  
  
"Naturally." Kaia returned with a grin, dropping into the chair she'd been   
standing behind.  
  
When the replicator had produced their drinks, one Earth-style coffee and   
one Raktajino, Kathryn sat down on the other chair and passed the Klingon  
coffee to her friend.  
  
Relaxing into a comfortable silence born of a long friendship, the two women  
savoured the hot liquids in their respective mugs.   
  
After a few moments Kaia set her drink on the desk and looked over at her   
old friend. "All, right, I"ll bite. Why'd you call me up here?"  
  
Janeway chuckled at the exasperated look in the Betazoid's eyes, holding her  
own mug loosely in her hands, then surveyed her friend speculatively. Not   
quite ready to give up the game. "How are your quarters? Comfortable?"  
  
Accepting Kate was in the mood to be her usual difficult self, the younger  
woman sighed. "Very comfortable. Better than the ones I have on the Raleigh  
though, I am curious as to why I'm still in the VIP quarters. If we're stuck  
out here you're going to need the room sooner or later."  
  
"We are strapped for space." Voyager's captain admitted with a nod. "But you're  
not going anywhere. I've designated the VIP quarters for officers."  
  
"Ah," Kaia nodded to herself. "I thought as much, you want me to head up   
Sciences?"  
  
"That too." Janeway allowed, setting her coffee aside before getting up and  
walking to the large view ports. "Kaia, I need a Counselor. A ship's counselor  
for Voyager. Commander Chakotay and I are facing the very difficult task of   
merging a Maquis crew into a Starfleet one. Given the natural animosity   
between the two groups not to mention the fact we were sent *after* them,   
it's shaping up to be an almost insurmountable task. We'd need a counselor  
anyway, given the amount of time our trip is supposed to take but with the   
difficulties that lie ahead...I need a counselor. I've gone over the crew's  
personnel records and talked with Commander Chakotay about his crew. No one  
fits the bill of a ship's counselor, except for one Betazoid who happens to  
have a doctorate in xeno-psychology."  
  
Sighing, the Betazoid in question looked down into her Raktajino. "Are you   
sure?" she asked finally. "That there's no one else I mean."  
  
"Quite. The EMT has the book knowledge and the programming but he lacks the  
natural intuition and rapport with people that a real person does. Counseling  
involves a great deal of going on instinct and I'm not sure that a medical   
hologram has that. Especially not one designed for short term use." Turning  
away from the unfamiliar stars before her, Janeway looked over at her friend.  
"I know it's a lot to ask of you Kaia. You're not even supposed to be here."  
  
"I know, I've got damn lousy timing. The one time I take leave to visit you,   
your ship ends up 75 thousand light years from home." Kaia shook her head   
and chuckled.  
  
"Believe it or not, that fact is another reason you're the perfect one for  
the job. You're an outsider to Voyager's crew as well and that makes you   
more approachable in the Maquis crew's eyes."  
  
"I'm still Starfleet." Kaia reminded as she sipped her drink again.  
  
"Yes, but you weren't a member of this crew. You weren't here to help track  
down the Maquis. You're a friend of mine who happened to come along with the  
intent of running a few tests on the Badlands. You're trapped on this ship   
just like they are." Leaning on the railing that separated the upper level   
of the ready room from the lower, Janeway's intense gaze locked with her old  
friend's. "You're an approachable and a likable person anyway Kaia. You always  
have been. Whether you take the job or not, I wouldn't be surprised if you   
ended up gravitating to that role anyway." Her voice softened then, and the  
Captain took a backseat to the woman who was making an appeal to her old   
friend. "Will you at least consider it?"  
  
Dropping her gaze to the mug in her hands, the blonde Betazoid thought for a  
moment before looking up to answer.  
  
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-  
  
Sitting in the First officer's chair, Chakotay found his gaze - and his   
attention - kept straying to the door of the Ready Room.   
  
Years in Starfleet and the Maquis had taught him to be a patient man but  
he also knew he was a man in possession of a curious nature. And that nature  
was now demanding to know what was going on behind those doors. What was Lt.  
Commander Doran's response to the proposition Captain Janeway was presenting  
her with and, more to the point, if she said yes, what type of person was   
the Commander. Who would he be dealing with?  
  
The First Officer almost always dealt more closely with the Ship's Counselor  
than the Captain did. Granted, in this case, the Captain had known their   
potential counselor for most of her Starfleet career which was bound to lend  
itself to a close working relationship but, in the long run, he'd still be   
dealing with Kaia Doran a great deal on a day-to-day basis. It was the nature  
of the job and he wanted to know what type of woman he'd be dealing with. He  
hadn't seen much of her during the experience with the Caretaker. While   
Janeway had been with him, trying to find B'Elanna and Ensign Kim, Kaia had  
been left with what was left of Voyager's crew to try and put things back   
together. The fact that Janeway trusted her with her ship told him a great  
deal about the woman in question but it still left a lot unsaid.   
  
Logically, the use of that word brought a wry smile, Tuvok was the one to   
ask. From what he'd seen of the Betazoid woman's Starfleet record, Kaia Doran  
had started her Starfleet career in a department under Kathryn Janeway's   
supervision and had risen up through the ranks with the elder woman. Only  
recently, with Janeway's promotion to Voyager, had they parted company. And  
even then they kept in close contact. Kaia's presence as a guest on the ship  
in the first few days was testament to that. Tuvok had known both women for   
years and he was one of the Captain's closest friends. If anyone knew Lt.   
Commander Doran's character it was him. Aside from Captain Janeway herself,  
there was no one else on Voyager he could ask.  
  
Unfortunate since, at the moment, Tuvok was the last person on Voyager   
Chakotay wanted to ask anything of. The fact the Vulcan had so expertly   
deceived him still stung and the Commander was not to the point yet where he  
could push by it. Not just to find out facts about a woman he'd get to know   
anyway.  
  
He was curious but not *that* curious.  
  
Voyager's new first officer's musings were disrupted by Commander Doran's   
emergence from the Ready Room.   
  
Under Chakotay's watchful gaze, the blonde woman moved leisurely around the  
bridge, pausing to speak with Harry Kim then Tuvok before departing into the  
turbolift. After a moment, Janeway walked out of the Ready Room and crossed   
the bridge to take the center seat.  
  
Unable to resist, Chakotay looked over at her with a curious expression. "How  
did it go?"  
  
Looking back at him, the captain smiled and nodded. "She'll do it."  
  
"Good." the tall man grinned wryly. "We can use all the help we can get with   
this."  
  
"We could indeed." Janeway agreed. "And Kaia's as close as we can get to an  
impartial third party on this ship."  
  
"Psychology background won't hurt either." her executive officer added. "We  
don't know how long we're going to be out here and we're inevitably going to  
need the help of a professional."  
  
"That's what I told her." Switching tracks, Janeway continued. "Kaia will be  
speaking with you about duty shifts but I expect the easiest way to handle   
it will be to split her duty shifts."  
  
"Half the shift spent on Sciences and the other as Counselor?"  
  
"Exactly. Kaia plans on changing uniforms so the crew can distinguish. I'm   
sure occasions will require some overlapping but overall, I think it will   
work."  
  
"It will work." Chakotay assured. "I'll see to it that it does."  
  
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-  
  
It was a few days later before Chakotay had his first real encounter with   
Voyager's new counselor.  
  
He'd been reluctant to begin using the executive officer's office, it seemed  
wrong to just move in almost immediately after the other man's death - like   
he'd never been there. To do so was, in Chakotay's eyes, the epitome of   
disrespect. However, he could put it off no longer. He was beginning his  
duties and the first one on his list was to put together the new crew's duty  
roster and that meant he needed a quiet place to interview both his Maquis   
crew and the existing Voyager one, thus he needed the office. But he still   
wasn't looking forward to cleaning out Cavit's personal effects.   
  
However, when the office door slid open, Chakotay discovered his hesitations  
were unwarranted as he found himself looking at Kaia Doran, dressed in the   
light blue dress of a Counselor, moving about the room.  
  
The blonde Betazoid was in the midst of putting Cavit's personal effects   
into a box. Looking startled, she paused in her work to offer a respectful   
smile. "Good morning, I'm almost done here, Sir, then I'll get out of your   
way. I'm sure you've a ton of work to do."  
  
"So I do." He agreed but held up a hand to forestall anymore comments.   
"First off, Counselor, we're going to be spending an awful lot of time   
working together over this voyage and I'd prefer not to spend that time with  
you calling me sir. My name is Chakotay. Feel free to use it." he set down   
the small crate he'd tucked under one arm and moved to the replicator. "One  
thing I've never liked about Starfleet is the protocol."  
  
"Me either." Kaia agreed with a grin. "Only I have a bad habit of forgetting  
it at the worse possible time. I can't tell you how many times I've slipped   
up and called Captain Janeway, Kate, when I was supposed to be calling her   
Captain. A few times were in front of Admirals...very embarrassing."  
  
"Don't suppose you'd care to relate a few?" Chakotay questioned with a laugh.  
  
"Replicate a cup of Raktajino for me and I'll consider it." The slim blonde   
countered without hesitation. "And if I have to call you Chakotay then you   
have to call me Kaia. Counselor is not an accurate title."  
  
Replicating a cup of coffee for himself and the Raktajino for her, he turned  
to face her. "How's that? You're doing the job and you do have the training   
for it."  
  
"Not because I wanted it." Kaia replied honestly. "I got my xeno-psychology   
doctorate to appease my mother then went into Sciences when I went to Starfleet  
Academy. Deal was I got the doctorate I could go to the Academy and they wouldn't  
argue my choices when I got there."  
  
"Your parents didn't want you to go to Starfleet Academy?" Chakotay held out the  
raktajino while he took a sip of his coffee.  
  
"Gods no," the Betazoid laughed, taking the drink with one hand while continuing  
to put things away with the other. "My parents want to be grandparents and they   
think that if I'm off flitting 'round the galaxy in Starfleet I'm never going to  
get around to having a family." She shrugged then sipped the raktajino   
cautiously, hissing slightly when it burned her tongue. "They're probably  
right."  
  
"No family."  
  
"Not even the prospect of one." Kaia nodded. "Call me a romantic but I'm not  
going to marry just anyone and start a family. When I do, he'll be Imazdi   
and that's that." After the statement was out of her mouth, the blonde   
flushed slightly. "Well, a fine counselor I'm turning out to be. We're   
supposed to be talking about *you*."  
  
"Came here for our first counselling session did you?" Chakotay prompted  
with a chuckle.  
  
"Not exactly. I thought I'd get Cavit's things out of here before you tried  
to settle in." She looked down at the box before her. "It's never easy to   
take over for another officer but when it's someone that's just been killed..."  
  
"You feel like you're trespassing on sacred ground." the big Native American   
finished for her. "You're right, I wasn't looking forward to coming in here   
with everything untouched. As if he were about to walk through the door."  
  
Closing the box, Kaia moved it from his desk. "Especially considering the   
circumstances right?"  
  
The question hit the mark and he looked down at the coffee cup he held.   
"Kaia, you're better at counselling than you think. Yes, it does bother me  
that, up until a few days ago, I was considered an enemy of the Federation   
and now I'm First Officer of the very ship that was sent to arrest me."  
  
"Yes, you would be." The Counselor said with blunt honesty. "This isn't   
going to be easy Chakotay. Not by any stretch of the imagination. We're   
trying to integrate two crews that's hard enough on it's own but, given the  
fact that both crews are on the opposite sides of a very thorny issue, this  
is going to be incredibly difficult. I hope you like a challenge Commander   
because this one's a doozy."  
  
"Not one to beat around the bush are you?" Chakotay chuckled as she grinned  
back unrepentantly.  
  
"No, we Betazoids are an honest lot, particularly when dealing with humans."  
Kaia's dark eyes danced with mischief. "We try to set a good example for you."  
  
"Are you implying humans are dishonest?" The first officer countered, a mirthful  
look on his face.  
  
"Well, you are experts at self-deception." Finishing her raktajino, the Betazoid  
put the mug back into the replicator and picking up the box. "And my race wasn't  
the one who invented poker." She grinned cheerfully. "Now, if you'll excuse me,   
I've got an office of my own to set up."  
  
Moving aside, Chakotay nodded. "We'll have to get together for a meeting with   
the Captain soon. Discuss who's going to be performing what duties amongst the  
junior crew."  
  
"Not to mention who's bunking with who." She agreed, stopping at the door.   
"I'm sure that's going to be a problem."  
  
"No doubt." the First Officer walked around to stand at his desk. "Counselor  
...Kaia..."  
  
The blonde looked over her shoulder at him. "Yes?"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
TBC 


End file.
